Hiring: Director of Education - Talespinner Children's Theatre

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

Talespinner Children’s Theatre

www.talespinnercle.org

Full-Time/ Year-Round Position

Salary: $46,000-$49,000

Start: October 2023, telecommuting possible during transition if applicant needs to relocate

Supervisor: Heather Utsler-Smith, Executive Artistic Director



About Talespinner

Talespinner Children’s Theatre is Cleveland’s dedicated, theatrical home for all children and families, creating inclusive, accessible, and meaningful professional productions and educational opportunities that engage, empower, and inspire.



Founded in 2011, Talespinner is entering our second decade of programming with a robust education department, four professional productions for children ages 5+, and two professional productions for our youngest audiences ages 0-5. Talespinner is deeply committed to accessibility: every ticket for our professional productions is Pay-What-You-Choose. Talespinner is a qualified service provider through Ohio ACE and the Family Supports Program through the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, and we provide additional internal scholarships. Every class and camp is designed to be adaptive and inclusive, so all students can find their home with us. Further, every performance at Talespinner is intentionally designed to be sensory friendly/relaxed, and each production features accessible performances with ASL interpretation, open captions, audio description, tactile tours, and more, and we work with consultants from stakeholder communities to ensure “nothing about us without us” is a value we’re putting into action. For more information, visit talespinnercle.org or reach out to admin@talespinnercle.org with any questions.



Equity and racial justice are core to Talespinner. BIPOC, global majority, Indigenous, Latine, Asian, Pacific Islander, and other people of color are highly encouraged to apply. We recognize that our identities are intersectional, and work intentionally to create spaces in which we can bring our whole selves to work, including a diverseness of gender identities, sexual orientations, physical abilities, mental health statuses, nationalities, ages, and backgrounds.



Job Description:

Create, implement and coordinate educational offerings at TCT. Responsibilities include but are not limited to on- and off-site classes, camps, residencies, workshops, and events, and coordination of our touring productions. Director of Education (EdD) will work alongside the EAD and Production and Operations Manager to provide high-quality, engaging opportunities for all participants, and will be expected to assist in leading TCT’s vision for a truly accessible theatre for all people. This is a supervisory position, overseeing all contracted teaching artists. Opportunities may be available to direct and/or design shows at the discretion of the EAD, and based upon the qualifications of the applicant. EdD will attend supplemental training, conferences, and professional development when opportunities are available.



Teaching Artists:

Director of Education will recruit, hire, and train all teaching artists involved in school residency programs and in-house classes, workshops, and camps. EdD will lead the team of teaching artists and will evaluate, assess, and place appropriately based upon individual qualifications and needs. Applicants will be expected to write and obtain signatures on all necessary paperwork in a timely fashion and create or have on file lesson plans for all workshops, residencies, camps, etc. Director of Education will teach classes and residencies when necessary, and substitute in the event a scheduled TA is unavailable. Director of Education will collaborate with the Production and Operations Manager on scheduling, payroll, and contracts for Teaching Artists.



In-school residency program:

Director of Education will oversee TCT’s in-school residency programs. EdD will serve as the main point of contact and will build and maintain relationships with schools, libraries, homeschool groups, scouts, etc., including seeking out new locations for future residencies. EdD will implement existing curriculum, and lead in the development of further curriculum as part of a team. Applicants will be expected to keep up-to-date with best practices in education and will work with EAD and outside consultants to develop assessment procedures to capture value added through TCT Education Programs. EdD will participate in training teaching artists and will monitor and evaluate their work in the schools.



In-House Educational Programming:

Director of Education will schedule and implement all in-house classes and camps and will work alongside Teaching Artists to design curriculum. Responsibilities will include attending sessions as a point person and administrator.



Camps:

Director of Education will work with EAD to design, schedule, and implement a 6-8 week camp schedule annually. EdD will hire, train, schedule and monitor all teaching artists and camp counselors, and will serve as the main point of contact for all camp programming.



Marketing:

Alongside the EAD, Operations and Production Manager, and marketing consultants, the EdD will promote classes, workshops, camps, and residencies in various locations both physical and virtual. Applicants will be expected to engage in follow-up communication after events to ensure continued positive relationships between participants/community partners/schools/etc. EdD will maintain photo/publicity release forms, and will regularly take and post pictures and videos of programming for use in marketing and on social media.



Administrative:

The Director of Education will be in consistent communication with other staff members, including attending regular meetings as scheduled by the team. Applicants will be expected to maintain registration files, communicate with community partners and parents within 24 hours on weekdays (within reason), and contribute to an organized Google Suite in order that files may be accessed by other administrative staff. Applicant will be expected to learn Agile, the system Talespinner uses for class registration and ticketing.



Additional Responsibilities:

Director of Education will assist in tracking data for participation, including demographics, as well as assessment data for use in grant applications and reporting. EdD will assist in researching and purchasing supplies for residencies, camps, workshops, and classes, and will monitor usage for replenishment. Applicant will be expected to work together with the administrative team to ensure all aspects of our educational programming are providing high-quality experiences for all participants. The Director of Education will be expected to make a report for the board of directors every other month. Additional duties may be assigned as the company grows.



REQUIREMENTS:

All candidates must hold at least an undergraduate degree in theatre or related fields of study. We recommend applicants have at least 3 years of experience in working with young people, ideally in theatrical settings. We strongly encourage applicants who have previous experience working with students with a diversity of needs, including developmental disabilities and those on the Autism spectrum.



TO APPLY:

Please submit 1-2 page cover letter, resume and desired supplemental materials (including but not limited to examples of past curriculum/lesson plans, letters of recommendation, videos of teaching and/or directing as appropriate, etc.) to admin@talespinnercle.org no later than 5:00 pm on September 8th, 2023.
Salary: $46-49,000